Novak Djokovic still looks like man stunned by what he accomplished this weekend at the Australian Open. Not only did he beat Andy Murray in almost five hours, he then beat Rafael Nadal 48 hours in nearly six in hours to win his third Australian Open in one of the greatest Grand Slam finals in history.

“I’m very tired, but fulfilled and full of joy and full of positive emotions,” Djokovic said. “But it’s still very early to realize what’s we havebeen through. Both players in this finals match.

“I’m just happy to be a winner from such a historical match.”

Djokovic won the match in an incredible 5:53.

“It was an amazing effort from both us,” he added. “We drained the last drop of energy that we had in our body to win the match. I think in the end it was just a matter of who wanted more to win it.

“I’m very proud of this achievement.”

Djokovic has now won seven straight against Nadal, all in finals.

“The success is even bigger knowing that I won against my biggest rival,” said Djokovic. “This rivalry gets bigger and bigger everytime we play against each other. I think this is the best match we’ve played against each other.”

I think we are yet again making the mistake of writing off Roger too early. We did that in 2008 and we know what happened in 2009. Ofcourse Roger is aging but his Tennis is so easy that he can play Tennis even upto 36 or 37 which is not possible for other players. If Roger stays in the circuit for long, he will be rewarded for his patience.

Michael: In 2009, when Roger won the FO, Nadal lost in the 4th round, and then when he won Wimby, the Spaniard wasn’t even playing (thanks to which Roger reclaimed the No 1. ranking, btw). Now Roger is almost 3 years older and another half step slower. As much as I’d love to see him make that one “last hurrah”, you simply can’t deny these facts.

Re: Fed playing up to 36 or 37, I seriously doubt it. He’s not used to play second fiddle, so he won’t be just “wandering” there and “hope” for something miraculous (like Djokovic or Nadal breaking their legs). He’s too seasoned to know that. I think he’ll call it a day once this season is over or (at the very last) in 2013.

You cannot go against Nature and Roger too is human. But his performance in 2011 although not good measured by his standards, yet was a satisfactory one. A Ferrer or Berdych or Del Potro would love to have that record in their resume. Even at this age, Roger is quite comfortable with all the players ranked between 4-1000. It is only the top two giving problems and that is quite understandable. Roger knows well that things cannot always go on like this and there will be a turnaround. He lost the 2011 US Open semi-finals serving with two match points and that should always give him confidence of competing with the top class players. Roger is still playing at a high level and I do not think he will call it a day soon because he has big ambitions and he loves Tennis.

I posted this in another blog, and I hope you will forgive me to repeat it here:

There was an interesting comment made by David Mercer in the USO semi, last year. It was the end of the match, 5-5, Roger was serving, and Novak played a destructive rally to earn a break point. Mercer said: “This Djokovic is possessed.”

He indeed looked possessed after that forehand return.

In the debate we had I didn’t agree with your opinion that Djokovic would fade. I was (am) a huge fan of Connors, and he learned me that a kind of feeling about competition almost never fades: something I called “the hate” in my rather poor English on another thread. I could have written “killer instinct”, but it is not an instinct.

Roger was beaten by that “hate” again and again and again.

For Rafa, it is almost innate. He always has it, from his first match on the ATP tour, from the first point of a match to the last. [It could be a compensation for the frustration he feels not to be the "alpha male" in his family, in his team (his uncle and his father are).]

Nole had to learn it. That’s why he prays in the late fifth set: he has the will, but he lacks the adrenaline. He has to find support in God, in his team, his girl friend. Rafa has it deep inside him (that’s why I still don’t understand how Djokovic beats him).

Roger never managed to grasp it, and in an awkward way, he said it after that USO semi.

It underlines a different conception of the game itself. I wrote that Roger tries to manifest, exteriorise (?) the game existing inside him. Rafa is there to win.

Novak is midway. He likes beauty (he often applauds), and above all, he loves to be loved. He would have certainly lost that semi if the public applauded and supported him the way they supported Roger. In such occasions, he is a gracious loser (Rafa is not a gracious loser, in fact he can’t stand it; I watched videos where he left his bags just to go and hug Novak who was playing football. But it was before, and a few defeats changed everything.)

But when recognition didn’t come, the “hate” was unleashed. He said it afterwards: “I didn’t want Roland Garros to repeat.” I wasn’t about losing. It was about being ignored by the crowd although he was part of an epic fight and played beautifully.

I wonder why inspite of all his recent success djokass is a long long long way from being as popular as Rafa and Roger? Number of facebook fans as at 31.1.2012 : Roger 9,671,084. Rafa 9,348,404. Djokass 1,563,457. Maybe he needs to play tennis standing on his head to get attention.

Maybe he needs to win golden slam! Maybe people don’t like him because he is from Serbia, because he didn’t train at his uncles a millionaire, and Serbian federation didn’t pay a dime for his school, trainers, as they did for Federer or Murray (as they still do)… He did it all himself, without help from anyone… And people don’t like that, they can’t stand it… He had much harder way than anyone else in this sport (even harder than Ferer)… And he don’t win because of hate, no sir… He wins because he is born winner, he was born standing up, and had to fight all the way, as most people in Serbia still do… He could have won that USO SF because of famous Serbian “spite”, to go against all odds, when everybody hates you without a reason, just because you are who you are… And although he is not universally lover by crowd, trust me he is more appreciated by Serbians, than Federer by people from Switzerland or Nadal by Spaniards… Because we know what he had to endure… And he still endures it… Even if he is as No.1 much more extrovert than Federer or Nadal, even if he is much better sport on field than they are (he actually changes referees decisions which go in his favor against himself over and over again, just so there is a little more justice on court)… Never saw Federer or Nadal do something “stupid” like that… So he is a real gentleman in gentlemen sport… He earns less money from sponsors than Nadal, Federer or Murray do and he is not complaining although that is heavy injustice. That and his beautiful and probably most balanced game in history of this game makes him great champion, peoples champion, not some elite born with silver spoon in his mouth, but one of us, who made it to the top, fulfilled his dream, from zero to hero…

And although Rafa is my second favorite player, I felt ashamed for him, when he challenged his serve, hopping it was out in order to prevent Noles return winner… Why did he do that?
And sorry for all the posting, I’m ill, sitting home :)… Hope it will be over soon ;)

I am sure you know that being born as an elite can no way guarantee success unless and until one’s truly exceptional, I mean, whatever you think, you’re entitled to, but federer and nadal are exceptionally brilliant too. If birth in rich family was the only criteria, then there could be best players aways from just US, UK and other rich countries and not from anywhere else!

And your post implies that djoker is perhaps the better fighter overall than nadal or even federer, but I doubt it. Right now, he is, but overall or not, remains to be seen. I mean everyone can look like unbelievable fighter when at absolute peak, and win all kinds of matches. But the real test cmes when you fall off from the pedestal. Then, what you show, makes you great, greater or greatest in people’s eyes. W ecan’t forget that federer too had shown some heart three years back when he saved match points against nadal at wimbledon 08, or when he resisted rafa as much as he can, at AO 09. Fed wasn’t at his absolute peak, still he kept it close. He even played well againstraaf at FO 11. So he too is fighter. And Rafa, the way he tried to fight and overcome djoker, considered the past losses to him, he too needs be commended for it. I mean, both roger and rafa need to be appreciated for their fighting spirit, coz even though ot at their peak anymore(though rafa is much youngr and hence much closer to his peak than federer), still they’re showin that they’re not ready to go down meekly to anyone. These are rare qualities that a man is born with, being born in serbia or US or elsewhere cannit change it, Only those who’re special, they can put it on display, and roger/rafa are indeed quite special, so they’re always fighting as mucha s they can, under the circumstances. Novak right now must be looking way aheaf of them, but his character would be truly gauged not at this time of his glory, but only at the time of his adversity. It remains to be seen whether djoker is not just a momentum propelled winner, or a real fighter. And it won’t be known until he either himself declines or is challenged and dethroned by some worthy rival at some point of time. How he handles the situation then, only that can determine how braver or worthier he’s than federer or nadal.

So, let us not put all of it down to just being born in above average/rich family or getting good coaching facility/joining some tennis academy at young age for Nadal/Federer. If that were all which was needed to become champions and to be known as such, then the rich country of switzerland could have produced federers at will(or rich nation like spain could have produced hundreds of nadal), but the last time I checked, there was just one federer from switzerland and one nadal from spain.

vox77, I totally admire your passion for Nole, but I do agree with Ajet that money is not what makes or break an athlete. In fact, one could argue (as I think grendel has maybe done here?) that the money can even work adversely in creating athletes and cause them to be spoiled or pampered, etc. So who knows? I think the competitive spirit is just deep within the greats, for whatever reason. And of course, love of the game.

Ajet, you say “Novak right now must be looking way aheaf of them, but his character would be truly gauged not at this time of his glory, but only at the time of his adversity. It remains to be seen whether djoker is not just a momentum propelled winner, or a real fighter. ”

I understand what you’re saying, I think – and we’ll know more perhaps in the future. However, I do think the fact that Nole stayed number 3 below Fed and Rafa for 4 years, which was unprecendented, and kept fighting and learning and working hard, trying racquets, coaches, diets, etc. shows that he is persistent in achieving his goals. I think his win over Fed at the USO in 2010 showed his fighting spirit and there was no momentum then. Indeed, even when Nole’s serve was atrocious in 09-10, he became an even better returner to compensate and stay near the top. He never dropped or gave up. He stayed right there. To me, anyhow, he has shown he will fight, that he is tenacious, during both good and bad times with regards to his tennis. That’s my opinion, but I guess for some the jury is still out.

No matter: he has 5 slams, one for each finger on his racquet hand. ;)

I can speak only for myself, but I hardly give a second thought to what nationality the athlete is. Only once they start to be a favorite, then it peaks an interest and if I’m not familiar with the country, then I look into its history, language, culture, sometimes even National Anthem, if I hear it when the favorite wins and I like it, ect. Like Peter Sagan, for example, until his success in cycling, I didn’t know a whole lot about Slovakia, now I know at least something :D

I try very hard to be aware of news spin as well, to sort the bias commentators and journalists may have and let the athlete do the influencing. Because someone is from the US definitely isn’t a reason I like them. However if no US player wins Wimbledon for a few more decades, that might change ;)

You have every reason to be proud, defend and cheer Nole.

I agree about Nadal challenging his own serve – that was a low piece of gamesmanship, I thought.

mark,obviously u hate serb, who cares who u hate or who the worls hate, novak is best player,people are surprise how xcome he can be best and he is from little serbia,he is serbian he belongs to serbia,for example british claiming murray is british when he wins,when murray loose he is scotish,thats english ingnorance that they are classin fron of other nations,also amrk every comment about djokovic from u is negative,if u hate him why u are here,why u waisting your negative emotions for djokovic,serbs dont care if germans americans etc hates them, they are small proud country,and even after war they produces worl best atleths,when compare with onother nations and populations of country they should be proud of what they achieved,last sunday djokovic beat nadal,serbian waterpollo team took gold,and serbian handball took silver,wwhy roger should be more proud he is swiss, because swiss make good chocolate and rolex,do u wear rolex mark?or u wear cheap amrican timex, so calm down about djokovic because he will be number 1 for long time, could be bad for yuor health MISTER MARK

@Jane – Your response to Ajet’s comment…I completely agree. Djokovic has shown, without a doubt, that he is not a streaky player but a fighter; a progressive and evolving athlete in tennis who seeks to improve by adjusting his technique, his health, his training, and his mental & personal life in order to accomplish his goal, to be the #1 tennis player in the world.

@Jane: I agree, he endured all that and still stuck to his childhood dreams… His success amazed even those who most believed in him :)

@ Ajet: You missed what I wanted to say as it seems… I was talking about his popularity… There is no reason why he should be less popular then other champions (the way I see it)…
And if you don’t think that money is important in tennis… Than look at Tipsy… He couldn’t afford to travel to tournaments when he was among the best juniors in the world… And is peaking at age of 28… now when he can afford many things, and professional trainer… That meant that despite common belief everybody doesn’t have same chances… And off course that I think that many players out there are geniuses in what they do especially the top 3… Heck, I don’t like Murrays game, to defensive (it is much nicer this year), but he is total genius in defense, hats down…
And please try to argument that it it justice that No.1 with longest winning streak in modern history earns less from sponsors than great player who hasn’t won not even one GS or player who he has defeated 7 times in a row (player who never lost finals (he lost but in silly low percentage))… In my opinion that is not normal, but it is just my opinion :)…
And Ajet, don’t take this the wrong way, but I really hope that Nole will never cry… I hope that he will never brake down and cry, not just him, but any other player… In the end it is just a game, and winner should be allowed to enjoy his win… I felt so bad for Rafa that day, he wasn’t given that win, he deserved it with hard work… If Federer was injured and retreated I would totally support it and understand it! The worst thing in every sport is when you are not allowed to show what you have because of Vis Major…
And for those of you thinking that origin doesn’t matter in tennis :DDD… remember Monika Seles? She got struck in the back by knife thrown by Steffi Graphs “fan???” during the match… She took US citizenship and I still think that that was the best thing she could have done… This is a bit extreme, I know, but if you are a tennis fan it stays stuck in your mind that it could happen again :(((. So when I see tennis “fans” not applauding on amazing winners and getting frantic about miss or hit in the net by my favorite player (and opponent is not nobody, but great champion, one of the best ever in the game which Rafa definitely is, so not heavy underdog) my palms start to sweat and I just hope that so called “fans” won’t try to assassinate him… I know, it is silly but… It happened before…
So I think that it is unbelievable that there is now 5-7 absolutely brilliant players that would win slams multiple times if there were not such geniuses as Nole Rafa or Fed… Heck, Murray would dominate an era, or Tsonga would or HM Del Po… Amazing time for all us fans.
Who is GOAT, time will tell… for me … Probably Rod Laver :)… or J Mac… everyone buuued him, but I thought that he just fought for his beliefs ;)… Still wonder if he would go after Hawk eye these days :D… Just enjoy tennis and spread good vibes :)))… It is so nice game… Ouch this was long… sorry :)

I too have thought about Monica Seles and that “fan”. You see such rabid Nadal “fans” on these kinds of boards that I worry sometimes too. Though I did notice at the AO that during the changeovers, and in between sets they had several rather large men who come out on court and essentially surround both of the players. They stay out of the way of the cameras largely, but they’re there. That makes me feel a bit better. In Monica’s time, she was completely unprotected.
I hope there’ll be good security at the FO final.

Anyways, who would dare touch Novak while he’s got Vlade Divac in his box? Certainly not me.

To be fair, Nadal doesn’t have the monopoly on “rabid fans”, Federer and Nole have them as well.

Speaking of Seles, yes she did lose almost 3 years because of what happened..But I was so proud of her when she went back on tour and started winning again, even briefly. If you’ve seen recent photos of her she is SO INCREDIBLY beautiful these days. Really matured into a proper woman.

Vox777: Jamie Murray, as a teenager at one time a better prospect than Andy, had a bad experience with the LTA. Andy turned his back on them and instead went to Barcelona at 15. The only LTA money he has taken is when they paid for Brad Gilbert to coach him briefly. His parents are not wealthy either.
In many ways Andy resembles far more closely those East European tennis players who leave home young and travel the world for their craft.
Interesting for us Brits Liam Brody, a talented young player brother of Naomi, has also been whisked away from the LTA and trains in France. But his dad’s rich…and possibly good looking…;)
The LTA is elitist and based in the South of England. To be honest it sucks at nurturing talent. We look across at France and Spain and sigh.

Noles secret is his pride.Normal fans and tennis lovers should stand by their favs but they shouldnot hate other players because of non sports reasons.The fans could chose who they love who they do not.But when they openly say or show that they hate some body than something is wrong with them and Nole has a medicine for them.That is not the hate MAT.That is serbian pride or SRPSKI INAT.
Tennis player could have millions of fans but when they start playing there are only two of them.Fans could help with positive energy but some times negative energy could help, as it happens, at US open.For those who are ‘worried’ that Nole dasent have enough fans, do not worry he has more love from his fans than many others.
ALL our love to NOLE.

Our astrologers have prepared a chart for Novak Djokovic on the basis of his birth details to analyze the planetary positions and see how will be the year 2012 for Djokovic’s career.

As per Djokovic’s birth details his moon sign is Pisces and he is undergoing major period of Ketu and minor period of Venus. The position of Ketu (which gives wisdom and creativity) in the 10th house (indicating career) from his ascendant is highly favorable for Djokovic. Venus, (which gives enjoyment and pleasure) placed in the 5th house (indicating sports) from his ascendant is also a positive sign for him. This indicates the year will further boost career prospects of Djokovic.

Moreover, the position of Jupiter (indicating money) in the 2nd house (representing monetary and material assets) from Djokovic’s Moon sign till May 2012 will bring him good financial gains.

Mat4, in your posts word “hate” wasn’t used with negative connotation, that is clear. Bojana probably didn’t read all your posts or missed the point what is normal for us with English not being first language.

For a couple days reading tennis-x, I keep coming back to your post trying to grasp what you are saying. I respect how well you know Djoker and think I get the part about “hate.” You are using “hate” but it isn’t quite the right word. You use it for lack of a better one, though something is lost in translation.

This is what I think I understand, and agree: “midway” between Roger and Rafa in how they naturally approach their games, winning, losing, performing for the audience, elements of beauty – but more than either of them, I too, think Djokovic loves being loved.

“Novak is midway. He likes beauty (he often applauds), and above all, he loves to be loved.”

Here is where you lose me:

“He would have certainly lost that semi if the public applauded and supported him the way they supported Roger.”

Which semi would Djokovic have lost? And why would he have lost with the public supporting him the way they supported Roger?

Then, what you say about Rafa, ( I’m thinking about the difference in his responses winning in 2010, and losing in 2011) I agree, as well. However, this AO loss, Mat4, don’t you think Rafa adjusted to being a good and gracious loser? I thought he did very well and I’m not a big Rafa fan at all.

“In such occasions, he is a gracious loser (Rafa is not a gracious loser, in fact he can’t stand it; I watched videos where he left his bags just to go and hug Novak who was playing football. But it was before, and a few defeats changed everything.)”

I guess, what I am asking is for clarification about the semi in which Djokovic would have lost had the public cheered him as they did Roger, in your opinion. Are you saying that, that much cheering is vulgar and repulsive to Djokovic? I’m confused. It seems to me, someone whom we agree loves to be loved, would appreciate the crowd support.

Maybe it’s an element of Nole’s background and culture I don’t understand as you do. thanks.

OK,Mat4,I know that you did not think that Nole won because of hate but other comments made me to say what I said.I think that you like Nole.
The article by the Tennis Chick is really good and different and makes one to think.

About Rafa: I really think he indeed is a nice guy, and his behaviour on and off the court are two different worlds. His comments are quite objective and – although Humble Rafa is making fun of it – he never loses the plot, the right direction. I also think that more than anybody since Lendl, Rafael Nadal changed the game of tennis. I find it hard to explain now, but I will come back to this topic with another post, after rewatching a few matches and defining my thoughts better.

But, it is obvious that those few defeats in a row changed his relationship with Nole. Djokovic complained last year about friendship in tennis, and he obviously thought about Rafa and AM.

The other topic is Novak’s need to be loved. His match in Roland Garros looked like a corrida, with the public eagerly waiting the final blow, “la mise à mort” of the bull. [I am also certain that the French organisers let that match last in the dark on purpose when they noticed, after the Delpo-Djokovic encounter, that Novak's level was dropping with the shades. Fair play is not in French vocabulary.] So I am convinced that more than defeat, that was the thing that hurt Novak, the thing he wanted to avoid when he said: “I didn’t want Roland Garros to happen again”.

Do you remember his expression at 15-40, and the sudden need to raise his hands? Mercer and Bradnam were right (and Bojana too): he was really asking: “will you support me now?” Twice in a row, he played his best, was on a brink of a great victory, made winner after winner, and everybody was waiting for him to lose. That gave him the injection of adrenaline to win. And maybe, just maybe, the overwhelming support Rafa had in that fifth set made him run and win the AO.

Novak lost some extremely important matches against Rafa, and he slumped for months after his repeated defeats in Hamburg, Roland Garros, the Queens. But even losing 14-4 in the H2H, that didn’t change his attitude toward Rafa privately. They even played doubles together, and an exo in Columbia if I remember well. How did the press call it? The bromance? Jocking around after losing the final of the USO?

He prepared for the AO 2011 with Andy Murray (I even believe the missed the set point at 5-0 on purpose), but after the AO final, their relationship changed too.

[Yes, the Djoker can be cruel with his jokes. I remember he said of Andy Murray: "He wrote a book? How? When? I thought he doesn't like (perhaps worse: didn't know) to read." ]

But when I think about Roger Federer, he remind me immediately of Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi: his game was the synthesis of what they were doing on a court. Just like Agassi, he is a baseliner; like Sampras, he has a great serve and a potent forehand.

[But in his evolution, tennis has already known the thesis-antithesis-synthesis evolution: think of McEnroe-Lendl-Becker, although Becker didn't fulfill his potential.]

Agassi was the last in line of a dinasty of great baseliners: an improved mixture of Connors and Lendl. Sampras was the ultimate netrusher. Federer was the simbiosis of two lines of tennis evolution, with the grace added.

Rafa Nadal, on the other side, just like Borg, came out of nowhere, like, once again, an antithesis of the leading conception of tennis founded on speed and depth. With the new material, he aimed for height and angles, and, that was the real novelty, he manages to do it on every surface.

Although it seems I am alone here, this was so good I had to paste it:

Posted by Yolita 02/02/2012 at 06:32 PM

You forgot to mention a very important aspect, Steve: the fact that the media has consistently tried to paint Djokovic in an unfavourable light and overhype Roger and Rafa. It’s understandable, given the amount of money spent by Adidas, Nike, Rolex, etc. to build a narrative around Roger/Rafa and other players and to have a product that sells very well.

Commentators are always too quick to exaggerate Nole’s misdemeanours, not to mention that two very popular players, like Roddick and Federer didn’t like Nole, so their opinions were taken as fact by pundits and commentatorss alike.

Novak has had to fight, not only Roger and Rafa, but also a set narrative which was (and is) very lucrative and sponsors are reluctant to abandon.

The fact that he is Serbian is the cherry on the cake. Nobody here seriously believes that the media would treat Novak in the same they have treated him if he were American, Canadian, British or Australian.

It doesn’t matter. It is what it is. That’s the world we live in, with corporate interests ruling all spheres of life.

But in the same way that Novak learnt how to beat Roger and Rafa, he’s been gaining people’s hearts steadily. Because he’s a lovely boy, who treats his fans and journalists with a smile and with jokes and with good humour, always. Everybody has a nice story to tell about Novak. There’s a limit to how much the media can spin the facts.

For years I’ve been listening to the commentators undermine Nole’s achievements. That’s not so easy these days.

The same about his behaviour. After this final, it won’t be so easy to continue with the narrative that Novak “gives up” when he thinks he’s about to lose. Or that he fakes injuries. There’s no evidence for that. The only thing the media can do is bring up the past. But eventually the present will trump the past. It always does.

Novak already has many more fans than people in the tennis establishment realise. And he’s getting more and more fans by the day.

I’m sure that eventually many more people, especially Americans, will realise what an inspiring story Novak’s is.

I’m also sure that the tennis establishment and sponsors will eventually realise what a gold-mine they have in Novak: not only a terrific tennis player who single-handedly defeated two of best players ever to play the game, not only a great warrior with a heart of gold who never ever gives up, also a charismatic public person, a born entertainer, who can bring, if they let him, a refreshing new image to the sport: the warrior who is also goofy and playful and loves to have fun, while working harder, playing better and being stronger than everybody else.

@ mat4: Some really nice points… I think that all you have said about friendship among them is true… Unfortunately…

@ Margot: I did know that Murray used to train in Barcelona, but I thought that it was arranged by LTA… So, I apologize, my bad… I felt sorry for Murray after last year final because UK press was killing him for no reason… He wanted to win, surely, but his nerves and fear of loosing 3GS finals got to him… And it is normal, he is only human… more kid than man at the time…

@mat4: I thought also that Nole opened a door a bit for Murray in 2011. final, because he surely didn’t want to destroy him, as he knows Murray better than all of us and knew what would happen with his self respect. But still letting someone in the match in final of GS… If Nole really did that, which I am not sure of, very noble of him, but too irresponsible also…

And “Serbian spite”, or “inat” in Serbian or “in spite” in English (I think?) does exist, but you will have to come to Serbia for demonstration :).
If I try to explain it to you, it is like if your all neighborhood wanted for someone to change the color of his fence, and he refuses to do it, just because everybody is against him, and he is heavily overpowered in arguments or muscle power… But if everyone let him be, leave him alone, he will most likely himself, although no one makes him anymore, change the fence color in the color they wanted because it looks better, and he knows all others were right… And if you ask him why was he making all the fuss, he will say: “just in spite”… Basically it’s destructive, childish behavior, but when down against odds it can keep your morale and belief in final victory high… I will be making wild assumptions now, but I think that it goes way down in medieval century, 1389. AD, when one of Serbian feudal lords named Lazar gathered all the men from his kingdom (literately all) to make a stand on Kosovo and stop huge ottoman empire army (ottoman empire was one of the mightiest in the world in those days), led by their emperor himself. Serbian lord Lazar sent man to scout Ottoman army before the fight, to know what is he up against, and when he asked his men how many of enemies are there, they answered: “If we all turned into salt (all Serbian forces, knights and horses), their lunch wouldn’t be salty enough”… because they couldn’t even comprehend the number of enemies, because such large army didn’t exist in Europe before… And Serbian lord Lazar didn’t step back, legend said that he chose kingdom of heaven, chose to stop ottomans right there and then, from making his lands Islamic, so did his men… All Serbian forces willingly stayed to fight, because retreating would mean disgrace forever lasting on family name… And historical facts say that that was fearsome battle, both Lazar who was in first lines and Murat (Ottoman emperor, who stood in the back) died that day (which is extremely rare in battles)… Basically even 5 years after battle, all of Europe historians though it was a draw or even Serbian victory by some… But almost all of Serbian army died or got wounded that day, and Ottomans (Turks today) just went back in Asia for more troops, and when they got back reinforced, there was almost no one who could wield the sword in Serbia. There is also one flower which grows in all Serbia in white and only grows in red color in southern part of Serbia, on Kosovo, and legend says that that is because of all of blood of brave Serbian warriors who stood their ground in front of overwhelming enemy… And Noles family originates from Kosovo… So now that you know a little bit of Serbian history think about it, that battle shaped whole Serbian mentality… To fight for homeland, your faith, your believes, family glory even if you know that you stand no chance… Sorry because my English is not better, but it is 2AM here :), I hope that someone will find this read interesting, if not, just ignore it :)…
Enjoyed all your posts by the way, not just on this article, but 2 years back… Learned a lot!

I remember at the USO Semi vs Federer just before that “shot”, all the Americans I was watching the match with looked at Novak’s facial expression and concluded that he had given up, that he was finished.

But they just didn’t realize that was the face of “Inat”, because they’ve never seen that before. I told them so, and even won a case of beer on a bet at that moment :)

And please, someone should restrict the size of posts, because I can’t help/stop myself :DDD
Also name of flower aforementioned is “bozur”.
And Troicky is also from Serbia, and he can help himself but “choke” on match points :( and also :)… Which made us appreciate Nole even more :)… Sorry Troicky, but you have to work on that thing man… use Nole as inspiration :)… Tipsy is crazy fighter, nothing to give or take, marathon man :), Nole must have been training with him for AO :DDD

I never thought I could learn something from this blog. Thanks, vox777 for that brief history of Serbia. It made me appreciate Novak even more not just as a player but also as a very patriotic citizen of his homeland. He may not be embraced worldwide as much as Roger or Nadal but, as I think you also mentioned before, but he is beloved in his country probably more than those two are in their own.

I was trying to make a connection between Nole’s desire to be liked and mat4′s “spite”/hate or vox777′s “inat” because they seem contradictory, which is what carlo was saying.

To go back to “the shot” as an example – let’s say Nole wants to be liked, i.e., wants his tennis to be appreciated (for one, because he likes nice tennis, appreciates the aesthetics not just the win, as mat4 suggests, and two, because Nole, perhaps as entertainer, seeks approbation from the crowd). If that’s the case, it must be almost hurtful if the crowd seems against him in big matches. Maybe he’s thinking “can’t you see I am making some pretty good shots too?” However, perhaps that sadness transforms into anger or spite; he decides, “I am not losing this without fighting to the last.” So he hits “the shot” – which you could see as sar does, as a big “F—You if you can’t appreciate my tennis”, to the crowd, or which you could see as Nole proving, once again, his tennis and fighting abilities: “check out THAT shot, now are you going to clap?” So he raises his arms, and wins them over. And he relaxes, he smiles, and he takes the crowd and the match. He satisfies his desire to be liked, his desire to fight/win, and his desire to play good tennis. Maybe if the crowd was cheering him on, he never feels those emotions, which help keep him focused even facing defeat, on proving his abilities, and on winning the crowd over.

Or maybe not. LOL. Just babbling. ;)

vox77, I did find that history lesson interesting, thanks!

and mat4 thanks for the links – am going to read Tignor now, and then the tennis chic.

Yes, that was an interesting story, vox777 . Had no idea. thanks. I appreciate your post.

———-
Mat4

Thanks for your response. It was the FO semi you were initially talking about – he lost v Roger. Okay, that makes more sense now. But, I still don’t exactly get it. Nole has suffered crowds being against him; or, at least, suffered crowd noise weighted in favor of Federer and Nadal, for years now. Seems like he should have won the FO semi 2011 and had less regard for the crowd. Are you are saying that the reason he lost was a reaction to the crowd? As a type of protest? If so, hopefully he’ll have more support there this year; and if not, hey, I hope he will go through it, like he has time after time, and win his Djoker Slam. He likes to know the fans love him, sure, but the ones with tickets attending FO, well…those are unique fans, so I hear.

Think about Soderling. Now there’s a guy who doesn’t need to be loved or love to be loved. lol . That Viking just took advantage and waxed the popular Rafa on Rafa’s turf in 2009 and elevated himself to folk hero status with me. Rafa was injured and had issues that year. I believe it. The point is, the difference in attitudes; Djokovic being sensitive, I guess, if I follow what you are saying.

Finally, your 6:51 post – you are describing Nole’s 2008, right? As to your question, I don’t know the answer off the top but – I doubt it. Djokovic has been competing with Fedal for his rank. Now, he’s broken free! :D ha!

“That Viking just took advantage and waxed the popular Rafa on Rafa’s turf in 2009″

But is Rafa that popular at the FO? Or was he then? In fact, I thought in that match the crowd were behind Soda. Perhaps I am mistaken. But I know they have sometimes called Rafa “the ogre” and Fed “doudou”.

carlo, indeed: great contrast in Soda and Nole. He has that ice in his veins. I think Rafa was more popular at the FO when he won in 2010 over Soda, but I think they were cheering for the upset in 2009, and I think they were cheering for Fed last year.

True mat4 – it is important to have that balance, and to read different views. Good point. I just saw your response below “part 2″ now. I thought she exaggerated a bit: I remember, even during the 5th set, some of Nole’s wry smiles at the intensity of the match. He was having fun “making history.” It was a battle to be sure, but both guys talked about enjoying it. Thus, I felt that there was strong evidence of positive emotion on both sides during that match, from Nole and Rafa. She made it sound so unbearable and grim. And perhaps it was to some, to her. Just not to me. :)

Gr8 comments here folks. Thanx :)
mat4 @8.08 I agree with all of your last paragraph re Nole and I hope he gets a chance to do what you say. However, Roger and Rafa have become legends in their own lifetime and people are reluctant to give up on their legends and reluctant to see past them.

you guys are fabulous!
what an inspiring post about serbian history! even though am Indian, I do FEEL that Serbia must be an amazing country! The spirit of serbians in unbelievably warm and heart-touching!

And I do think, I do really feel bad when see people just supporting roger and rafa most of the time during matches agaginst nole! Nole deserves al appreciation in the world, all love!

Coz from the very first day I knew, the guy has heart, courage and confidence! Only peopel of character have these elements, not every tom, dick or harry!
And it’s quite incredible that Serbia’s so great in various field of sports!
AJDE SERBIA!

Djokovic is the player right now with no weaknesses and his emergence has no doubt forced everyone to rethink about their game.

Competition is always healthy and I am sure this will help Nadal/Federer to grow as a player rather than inhibiting them. Nole in his own way is trying to cement his place in the minds of tennis fans. His sense of humor is something worth admiring.

What drives Novak these days might be the fact that he just “feels” on some level that he is better than Federer or Nadal, that he is on absolute top of the tennis world… And he wants to show it to everybody and be appreciated for it, even praised, it’s probably inner child in him (because of that even all old ladies in Serbia like him like he is their own grandson LOL, and because of him have learned stuff like “BH DTL and CC FH”, unbelievable, they say that he is “golden boy” and it’s so funny :) )… Also it is true that these days we can see Federer playing his absolutely best tennis against Nole and Nole alone… I think that when they first met, Federer recognized him as a great treat for his legacy, and because Federer in my opinion is one of the most intelligent players in the game, he could foresee Nole dominating him in his own game… All his statements to media were very calculated, and it was not “hate”, not that I’m saying that anyone implied it in earlier posts, just deliberately placed to upset his future greatest opponent, smart move indeed, Dr Morriarty smart :)… I think that he saw Noles mental toughness ages ago, that he could “feel” it, before even Novak realized it… Federer is definitely the GOAT in playing mind games with his opponents, on and off the court :), so when he gets beaten in his own game, he has all right to be upset :)… And what most annoys him is probably the fact that he is looking all business and serious and Djokovic with clown like behavior makes tennis seem a less mental game than it actually is…

And Soda is Rafa hater indeed LOL… remember the one match on HC where he deliberately hit Rafa 3 or 4 times on the net from very close range… He could send a passing shot easily but he always chose to hit Rafa with ful power… Rafa was rightfully furious that day… Soda has such a strange character :)… Nole, Rafa, Andy, Del Po are really the good guys deep inside, Federer is a bit to calculated and cold for my taste, hard to read what he actually thinks… But Soda or Radek, those guys are something else, very strange, but add to diversity :)

I am really enjoying these exchanges from everyone, special mention to voxx777 and mat4. I think your analysis of the players are precise…or at least I can see and understand your point. Keep on posting!

Federer has a golden heart too. He’s not at all calculated btw. He’s the one who’s least calculative. That’s why many nole and rafa fans hate him and call him arrogance, narcissist etc. Rafa and novak are much more calculative than federer ACTUALLY. They hardly talk bad of anyone, but federer turns off many people due to his honest assessment on murray/novak/rafa. He cares the least about wooing people, but still most people have automatically ended up loving federer more than anyone else, even the ATP guys appreciate him most, much more than rafa/novak. He got to have something good in him, otherwise he’d not be so much loved! Not his fault that people love him most, all over the world. And believe me, it’s much more to do about fed being the best human being and graceful from among current tennis players than him being swiss and all that! Federer’s a nice and graceful champion like borg, thus most people can only love him. I can’t blame federer for being the most simple, nice and straightforward tennis player!

And so far as nole being a threat to federer is concerned, a 30 year old guy(who’s content and has already won every important thing in tennis multiple times) who’s a step lower at least, if not more, can hardly be expected to always thwart the challenge of a 6 year older strong rival like novak; it’s only natural, and not surprising. Actually the younger rival should keep beating the older guy, not vice versa, in a normal world!

vox777 thank YOU.Your English is much more better than my and You said what was in my hart of harts.Just one more example of serbian ,,inat”was when NETO was bombing serbian bridges ,factories,tv stations and serbian students were standing there.They knew that they really could not protect them but they were there to shaw the serbian inat.
About the hate,Roddick is full of hate for Novak and he has shawn that many times.When Novak answered just for once with the statement that was much less hatred, he was booed in America.Why?Because Roddick is american and he is allowed to say what he wants, but Nole is not.Americans do not like answers,everything has to be as they say.
About the god:When Nole looks at sky he did not ask god to help him to win he ask god to help him to overcome all kind of injustice that he has on his way to win.

Kaiser says I must make my sole mission of the miami masters to get Feds autograph on the same ball that Rafa signed last year, that way I have a tennis ball signed by FEDAL for historic purposes. I guess we can’t show up in our Rafa the bull logo etc. I wonder should my kids and I masquerade as Fed fans? I imagine I will have to jump through even more hoops than last year.

–But I know they have sometimes called Rafa “the ogre” and Fed “doudou”.–

Jane I wonder who the French crowd would cheer for if it is Rafa and Nole? Will they want Rafa because he is western even though they don’t really love him or will they want Nole because they are sick of Nadal always winning the event and want Nole to complete the GS?

Thinking more about Soda pop, I have 2 big reasons to love the guy,(though he couldn’t care less, I’m sure, lol).

He saved me from the hype and disappointment of a Fedal final at FO two years in a row and gave an assist to Federer winning a well-earned career slam! Folk hero = Robin Soderling.

Ajet – agree with your assessment of Federer @ 11:01, +1. Well said. If I may, did you feel when Djokovic beat Federer US Open 2010 semi, that it was the end of Federer beating Nole? I felt it was a natural progression, a passage of Nole to the top, if he could also conquer Rafa. That was why it was surprising that Nole lost the FO semi 2011. But I didn’t even bother watching Nole v Roger FO 2011 because I felt so sure of the outcome!! That’s why I lost the plot when mat4 started posting about Nole losing and his reaction to the crowd, etc! LOOL…

Daniel – only guessing but I think Djoker has found a way to deal with the monstrous pressure. He’s a fascinating competitor. I don’t feel too sorry for him after watching that AO 5th set 10 times! Of course much depends on his health but the man has abundant mental Fortitude.

Daniel says “Gosh I feel sorry for him already come this RG, the hype will be huge, specially if he keeps beating Nadal on clay. He will be under tremendous pressure.”

carlo says “That was why it was surprising that Nole lost the FO semi 2011. ”

Nole was under tremendous pressure at last year’s FO because of “the streak” and because he’d beaten Rafa twice on clay, in Madrid and Rome. Thus I think a lot of people were expecting him to win the FO to seal the deal. Someone here recently said that Nole plays better when he’s been playing. When he takes a rest, it can help but it can also throw things off. I think missing that match with Fognini, because he gave Nole a walkover, actually hurt Nole because he lost that rhythm he’d had from playing and he had more time to think about what was on the line. He didn’t play his best versus Fed; took him a while to get warmed up and by then Fed was already up two sets. The different balls played quicker – everyone was saying the clay was playing fast last year at the FO, so perhaps that made Fed even stronger, though he always plays well on clay anyhow, obviously!!

So with the pressure building to the FO again this year, it might thwart Nole’s success. On the other hand, it all depends on the lead up to the FO.

In the end it all worked out, because Nole was able to put it behind him (the FO 11 loss) and pick up where he left off by winning Wimbledon, his dream. Fate? Maybe. :)

sar, It’s hard to say. They may cheer on Rafa for sentimental reasons, or possibly Nole if it’s a matter of him making history – of course they all have to get there first! But I think in France Fed is their favourite, maybe even over their own guys like Tsonga, Monfils and Gasquet.

Federer played a great match in that FO semi. Nole missed the train when he was serving for the fourth set.

Patrice Dominguez thinks like me, that the fading visibility hurt Novak’s game. On the other side, I believe it was done on purpose: two blockbusters (Djoko-DelPo and Fed-Djoko) to start so late? Come on, it is a tournament played on clay, where matches can last forever. The officials knew that (btw, Roland Garros becomes a joke of a Grand Slam: no artificial lighting? in the XXI century?), but nonetheless they programmed such a match as the last one…

BTW, it is perhaps the first year when I feel that Nole is protected in the schedule. Except in France, of course.

mat4, yeah it is just bizarre that the FO doesn’t have lights. I agree Fed-doudou played amazingly well at the FO last year, but not as well in the final match, losing the first set after being up 5-2 was it? Hmmmm.

“doudou”, mat4 – doesn’t the word translate to something like “pet,” as in what one poster here likes to call Federer, “feddy bear” like “teddy bear” ??? aww…

So, who will be their “pet” in a Nadovic?

Obviously, I confess missing the semi in question, but I don’t understand how fading light would hurt Nole more than Roger -Roger has not performed well in poor light. Also, it really does say something for Nadal 1) what a king he is on clay 2) how much he doesn’t need the crowd love ftw at FO – though I do remember Rafa complaining, or was it Uncle toni, after his loss to Soderling.

I don’t know who the Parisian crowd will cheer but I’m still with Djokovic FTW, providing his health remains; if, the Nadovic final transpires at FO. It’s fun to sit back and watch Djoker take command and right now, it reminds me of how I felt watching Federer in 2004-2007.

Federer played FO out of this world, all lines, corners were his, he served Novak out of FO, but Novak was in it until last point. Novak had to much on the plate that day, John McEnroes record, # 1 position , GS SF etc.
That finger by Federer at the end meant ” I am still here!”
I believe that everything happens to us for reason, if Novak won that one he would win FO, but I am sure he wouldn’t win Wimbledon and USO. the way it turned out later is best outcome for Nole and us , his fans:-)
And yes, If I can just have a word in private with Tipsy and Fognini about that John McEnroe record!

LOL Wog Boy – good for Nole. He shouldn’t care. Bottom line is the win, and that’s all.

carlo, true – fading light would’ve been an issue for both of them. Fed said he couldn’t see well during that Wimbledon final as well. I think if anything, continuing into the fading light just went with Fed’s momentum as he’d seized it immediately in that match and held it pretty much throughout, even though Nole was still in it until the end. Were they to stop the match in the fourth, when it was getting dark, and restart next day, who knows? With Nole-Delpo it was sort of the opposite. Nole started well and then Delpo started to hit into his range; things were getting tenser. But they stopped play – Nole and Delpo both agreed on this – and Nole came out the next day stronger, and ended it. Who knows if they had kept playing.

Wog Boy might be right – it’s all fate. Or chance. Depending on your perspective.

lol, sounds like something for British and Aussie bookies. Betting Odds – who will the French crowd support in a FO final: Nadal or Djokovic?

Coming very late to the FO semi party, I think I’ll go watch Fed v Djoko on YouTube. I’m curious. If Fed had the fitness to keep up with Nole, hit the lines, serve outrageously and win points easy, that makes more sense than the fading light, jane and Wog boy.

Also, yeah, the pressure of the streak was on Nole, and he had not been tested v Rafa in a GS in 2011. Djoko could have won though, imo. He showed us that at Wimbledon and US Open.

That’s right, Fed’s index finder wag… lol, I did see highlights. But highlights rarely do a match justice.

Wog boy, I can understand having a word with Fogna but what did poor Tipster do?

In a FO final between Novak and Nadal, I think the crowd will cheer for Novak because the French crowd loves Federer and considers Nadal as the spoiler who ruined Federer’s bid to win more French Opens and probably a couple of calendar year Grand Slams. Nadal will always be a villain in their eyes because of this. They also would not like Nadal to beat or equal Federer’s record 16 slams.

@Ajet: – He got to have something good in him, otherwise he’d not be so much loved! – Well Germans loved and even died for Fuhrer (even Henry Ford liked him), but he didn’t have anything good in him (sorry if this joke is inappropriate but it is so good proving my point)… I understand that you love your player, but was he – best human being and graceful – when he called Nole a faker and his injuries false :(?!? Is he a doctor, or human MRI? How could he know? Or he just felt so much above everyone else to allow himself to be the judge of all things and players in tennis?
I’m somewhat in human behavior, and he is too calculated, no trace of honesty, except when he couldn’t keep his composure and cried… Sorry I had to tell you this… But that is what I see from facts… He spoke great when Del Po defeated him in the final 3:2, and praised Del Po, but still talked very badly when Djokovic defeated him 3:0 on multiple occasions on GSs, saying that he himself didn’t play well and not praising opponent… So I tell you, I admire him very much for being still around and playing on very high level, I admire his intellect also, but glory and all GOAT talk had hit him in his head, and he really had lost compass and good judgement for couple of years… And Nole is magnetizing his needle right now :)… You could never hear Rafa as No.1 or Nole as No1. or before when they were not No1s to call someone injury faker or anything else… Only Rodick (he is a bit of redneck, isn’t he :), so totally expected) and Mr. GOAT (funny to say that seeing his behavior, almost Lendl-like) Fed which was totally unexpected and ungracious (totally opposite of his fine and beautifully aggressive game) and of course Wavrenka (man is a mercenary, Polish in Swiss team, nuf said), who always supports Feds opinion and willingly lose from him in order to please higher authorities and keep his green card :)… I was a bit sarcastic… Sorry if too much… But Humble Rafa pushes us in that direction :)… And Rafa is not matador no more… He is a bull, torro, and we all know who El Grande Matador is these days, and he is not Djoking on court, only of ;)

Since I am not betting in money, but I do friendly betting in bottle of drink, I am ready to offer you each, bottle of drink ($50 price range) that if it comes to match Novak Rafa French will cheer, mostly, for Rafa and that has nothing to do with Federer.
Lets wait and see if they are going to meet or somebody, RF, is going to spoil the party, again :-)

Nole wears contact lenses and that hurts his vision during low light conditions and he suffers as all short sighted people do… Yes, I know, he is not perfect! LOL… FO doesn’t have roof, doesn’t have AC, doesn’t have lights… I wonder how could they afford for electronic scores sheets and doors :)… One would expect counting results in a way Romans did :)… I concur about result on FO and Wo with Wog Boy… It seems it had to be like that… But, Nole lost, whatever light was there, and whatever crowd did, so don’t take it away from Federer… But it was a great stage preparation for this year… And I have a feeling that this year Nole will dominate FO – even if French crowd decide not to show on Nole – Rafa final and protest outside Fill Shat :)))

with regards to the low light at the FO dusk.. The low light tends to favor the server, and hurt the returner. This is because in low-light our eyes are not able to focus as well, or more importantly they can’t focus as quickly. So when you’re receiving serve, low light conditions have the maximum effect. This would have affected Fed and Nole equally (maybe Nole would’ve suffered a bit more because contacts already remove some light anyways), but the biggest effect would’ve been that Nole’s best weapon (return of serve) was neutralized.

You’ll see, if the French schedule Djokovic’s matches at dusk again, you’ll see him having to struggle to break his opponents.

@Polo, as long there is drink and reason to drink, and something to eat, that is all what matters, and of course good company, you can’t do that with anybody.

@vox777:

What was he thinking? His friend is on a roll, writing the history and Tipsy is doing walkover. He probably spent night before on “splavovi” and couldn’t play next day :-)

“splavovi” = pontoon restaurants on rivers Sava and Danube with music, open until last guest crawls out. You can ask American DC team about “splavovi” and “chevapchichi”, hard to pronounce beautifull to eat.

Mat4, any time as long as Novak wins. Just one question, how I am going to get mine bottle, just in case I win:) I know it is no likely but…..
I have to say , so far you were more right than wrong, but let me be right, this time. I have my reasons to believe in what I am saying, just in case I lose which drink would you like, not that I belive I will …..

I was with a friend in Russia, in 1986, and we were desperately trying to buy a bottle of vodka. So, we finished our quest in the market, where we eventually found a bottle.

Then the bargain started. The seller, a Georgian, wanted a hundred roubles for the bottle. It was, of course, way to much. But he was also a bit impressed by my friend, who was dark haired, with big eyes, slim, and looked like she was too from the Caucasus mountains. Finally, he offered us to drink the vodka for free with him, to share it right on the spot (it was a bit cold).

Mat4, that is right, i said that few months ago in one of my posts and today to Polo, I can’t drink by myself, need good company for good drink….and not just for a drink. We are social creatures , aren’t we!

Fed was correct that he didn’t play anywhere near his best when he lost in straight sets to djoker in both AO 08 and AO 11!
Talking of being into human behaviour, one doesn’t need to go deep into study of human behaviour. Human wisdom is above all, and things are there for us to clearly see and most people rightfully see that fed deserves to be loved more than djoker! You are free to disagree though, doesn’t change the fact!

And, fed only says in words, unlike djoker who thumps his chest or tears off his shirt after winning a point or match(which of course might appear to you CLASSIEST)! ;) But to be honest, I’d anyday take federer’s whining over the oh-so-classy and aggressive bodylanguage of djoker mid-match! Have you even seen how his eyes were burning with anger and vengeance during fed’s match last year; despite that when djoker slipped federer anxiously came to net and asked him if he’s alright; really classless, I might add; although even after that djoker continued his classy loud roars towards federer, LOL! ;)

And talking of honesty, djoker clearly shows respectful or classy he is towards fed/rafa when he roars with burning eyes after scoring a point or winning a match; although he may talk sweet during conference. Action always speak louder than words, I think.

Fed after losing a match is overcoem by momentary disappotment and says not the prettiest thing, though he’s never roaring classlessy unless you provoke him. Fed carries himself with class on courts despite guys like djoker doing fist-pumping, chest thumping and all those CLASSY antics directed towards him; federer’s behaviour never stoops down as low as others. That’s why I admire him the mostt, appreciate him the most, love him the most! He has rightfully earned love from all the people around the world. Nobody can take it away, nobody can deny that, unless biased.

Who really knows what those guys are thinking when they are playing? Their body language reflects their intense desire to win and there are many ways of showing it. The ways they are shown are also influenced by their culture, upbringing, etc. I would call them “actions of passion”. They should not be held accountable for them. As long as they don’t physically hurt their opponents. Tennis also involves mind games and you have to keep a constant edge over your opponents as long as you are still active in your sport. The competition continues even after the match is done.

It’s great you support him so much! I support you all the way supporting your player :)… You are right about roars…
Nole roared more when he was younger than he does now, so maybe it is an age thing? :DDD… Maybe he’ll sort it out when he is middle aged ;)
But keep in mind that he also roared when he lost some crucial points before, and had “burning eyes” (great expression, I like it) :)…
I actually like chest pumping, and even shirt ripping… In our country it is a custom to rip a mans shirt when he gets son (others rip it of him, not himself :) )… even if he is at a job at that time, so it is a part of huge celebration :)… I can tell you that we are most loud people when celebrating, and we like to be loud when we are happy, even our laughter is very loud :DDD… That’s how emotions are expressed around here… Sorry, we are really not British, all business like (except when they are drunk :) ). You can say that we and Nole as one of us are not classy, but no one can say that we don’t know how to celebrate or express our feelings ;)!
And being nice and decent is what he is like off the court, always and to everybody… On the court he is battling, and he shows it, his way of showing opponents his determination… I even think that they could appreciate when he roars because it means that he was giving his best and that it was hard match for him…
But rafa surprised me when falling to his knees in 4th set… I appreciated it because he showed how hard it is for him to take a set from Nole :)…

I agree with Polo; there are reasons for differences in the players, and thank goodness for it. Hence, we all respond differently for our own different reasons. Isn’t this wonderful? I see enough cookie-cutters on the street, down the block, in the stores. I don’t want a bunch of homogenized politically correct tennis players who all act the same and speak the same and dress the same. UGH. Worst nightmare in fact.

That’s why I like the on court interviews of winners and losers post-Champhionship match at Wimbledon. It cuts down on the same ole speeches: “I’d like to congratualte my opponent, thank the ball kids, the sponsors, see you next year, blah blah blah” and adds honesty, humour and individualism to the post-match reaction. More of that please – on and off the court.

”You can say that we and Nole as one of us are not classy, but no one can say that we don’t know how to celebrate or express our feelings ;)!”

Hey vox777,

It’s got nothing to do with you and other serbians! I’m not chauvinistic at all! I love all the nations and don’t think any particular nation could be called best. I hate to even make the rhetorical claims like ”east or west, my country is the best”, coz each country is special in its own way! And btw, Nole represents himself more than Serbia, as tennis is individualsitic more than nationalistic! And as I have already said, I like the spirit of serbia! But it’s not like I consider a great country like switzerland any lesser either! ;)

And if Nole does something great in tennis, he doesn’t become greater than his country! and nole is an individual. if i consider someone classy or classless, the matter ends with him, his country can’t be held responsible in my eyes! :)

Thus, I would never say or even imagine to think that you and the whole of serbia are classless! And why should I??? It’s not like we Indians are the only good people in the universe!

“I’d like to congratualte my opponent, thank the ball kids, the sponsors, see you next year, blah blah blah”

Well jane,

Even your guy nole keeps saying all these things all the times adter winning or losing tournament! So I dunno what’re you complaining or disliking about some guy other than nole congratulating the opponent, thanking the ball kids, promising to coming back next year blah blah in presentation ceremony!!!

And it’s only expected that every guy’s different and would speak out differently! So uniqueness of individuals is not so unique a phenomenon in nature, I guess! Whether you like politically correct/incorrect statements coming from guys is a different thing, but you’d keep hearing things which you may enjoy fully, or if not, you’re also free to ignore/skip! Nobody’s forcing you to watch that which you may deem as politically/diplomatically correct things! You may be glad to hear something from djoker, but I am also equally glad to hear from federer and rafa fans are also surely glad to hear from rafa, and so on!

All I am saying ajet is that the speeches these days, Nole’s too, sound repetitive, except at Wimbledon, where we get those little interviews. I wish they didn’t feel obligated to say this or that but could just speak from the heart. You could say Fed’s “god it’s killing me” and tears were that. Or when Muzz said “i can cry but cannot play like you” or when Nole said “i know the crowd wanted Jo to win more but that’s okay. I still love you guys.” To me, these moments of individual candour and expression are nice. And they show the differences in all the players. And I like differences. I don’t want Rafa to act like Fed or Nole to act like Rafa or Muzz to act like Nole. I like to see them being themselves. Ripping shirts, grimacing, lawn-mowering, falling to their knees, praying, yelling, sweaing, finger wagging. All of it. Thank goodness for differences. That is my main point.

Speeches these days… They are like spaghetti without sauce – one big nothing-ness.

If I was Novak, I would talk after getting the AO 2012 trophy from that bird-faced old guy something like this:

Big thank you to my team and my fans only. Your support is appreciated. For the rest of the fans, I know you wanted Nadal to win, but that’s OK. I cannot say I still love you though, that feeling should be mutual. I don’t hate you, that’s for sure. You mean nothing to me (said with a big sincere smile).
Congrats to Nadal on a great effort, but challenging your own serve was a bit sissy, no? And sorry for making that drop to your knees after winning just a set the only celebration for you tonight.
Thanks to ball boys and girls, but no thanks to line judges – your errors against me were 11 tonight and only 3 agains Rafa, too big a difference to deserve thank you from me. I recommend you all take an eye exam and never do this job again.
I am going to walk back to hotel and not use the car company that sponsors Nadal and is plastered all over the tennis net. And that guy from that company who wouldn’t shut up – Rafael almost fainted and had to sit on the net – is that how you treat your poster guys!? Jacobs Creek is a different story, thank you and I hope you’ll be providing free (and good) wine to all my fans after the match. No cheap stuff, please!
And for the end, allow me to rip this white shirt as well, I ripped the black one already and to get that all ‘jin-jang’ thing going and balance the universe, i will rip it now (proceeds to savagely scream and rip his shirt to shreds).

OK, I realize this speech would not be well received by corporate world and uptight tennis fans, would diminish his prospect of getting big sponsorship deals in future as well, but I’m pretty sure would make Novak the worldwide icon, especially among the non-PC crowd!

Every bit of “Nole’s” speech is actually exactly what happened during the match. I will not go any further, good on you !
Btw , there is far better wines in Australia then Jacobs creek
ones, I don’t buy them nor I drink them :-)

And that is one good point Jane! I agree 100% not just because you are Noles fan :)…

Ajet, I really don’t think that you thought off all Serbians as classless or that you discriminate people, so I apologize if I made myself unclear… It would be nice if 30-40 posters from this blog could have a drink in some bar someday because written words often sound more serious than they are meant to be :)… Ouch, that would be tough for his Humble Bull Highness :D, but he could wear a mask ;)…
I just wanted to say that I know a lot of people from Serbia who are just like Nole (except they are not geniuses in tennis of course ;) )… And we really like the way he acts, because we know that he is 100% sincere when celebrating and roaring… That is who he is… Who we are (well, most of us work in offices, but no matter ;) ) It’s nice to have a class on the grand ball and on the court, but I think that shaking hands and applauding opponents for great shots represent class… That’s the thing that I do playing volleyball or basketball or when sparing in martial arts… I’ll do almost anything to win except hurting (badly :) ) my opponent, but everything stays on court, behind us.
And tennis is indeed an individual sport, but Nole manages to involve all people who support him, especially his countrymen… He is more like a national team for us then just one man, because he always stresses that he is proud of his origin, always wears Serbian flag – in little heart on the left of his T-shirt if you have noticed, and after matches he has a habit of wearing large Serbian flag like a part of Serbian team… He doesn’t wear flag imprinted with “Nole” :)… All other national teams always support him, and he always stresses in his interviews that he will be watching them and that he is behind them (and he is probably the best sport person in the world now). He always tries to promote his country, never looks down on any other sport… He even had problems with his sponsor Sergio Tacchini company because he wore their hat during the matches but put on his with Serbian national colors – which wasn’t Tacchinis for the award ceremony (Indian Wells and Miami 2011), and he was so consistent that they didn’t penalize him, but made hat in Serbian national colors with big T on it :)… And he always stresses that things are hard in his country and that he is playing for pride and joy of his country and for all the people who support him here (even at award ceremony at AO 2012. he mentioned his team and fans back home), and always stresses that he is trying to represent his country in the best possible way, which I think that he does… SO don’t expect him to act like American, Frenchmen, Norwegian or Chinese… He is a Serbian and he acts accordingly :), and if his country wasn’t so much “rained upon” by press, he would act even more freely and you would see how much still childish he still is… How much he enjoys tennis and contact with tennis fans… He is the most active top player on social networks, because he likes to be in contact with people, to hear their opinions… Now he has to watch every step, because he knows that all eyes are on him waiting to make a mistake… And that is a burden to, undeserved burden, given to him by our people and politicians… He is our best “ambassador” but he is firstly tennis player… young tennis player…
Have you ever seen other players do that? Have you seen his Adidas snickers in national colors?
P.S. I have to pay credit to Indian people for Zarathustra and very interesting Budha teachings at least :)

“And sorry for making that drop to your knees after winning just a set ”

Yeah glad someone mentioned that. Imo just shows the desperation imo, ” Wahoo, I finally won a set? ” Don’t get that, and it played into another Rafa gamesmanship ploy, imho.

In regards to all this talk about Novak and country, forgive me, but I like to look at Tennis as “Colorless”. and I don’t mean skin color, but religion, country, etc. IMO it is the beauty of the sport. It’s Global, with less cultural “owns-men-ship” than most others. I admire Novak for his game first. I see him not as a Serbian, but a great Tennis player, and, oh yeah….he is from Serbia. However, in contradiction, It does add “character” and “color” to his personality knowing his cultural roots. Go figger?

He has a opportunity to create a platform that people will listen as the worlds #1. So what is it? The Serbian history is a controversial one for sure.

I am very aware that every athlete has a story, not just Novak. But it is very deserving now to hear his, after all, he is THE #1 tennis player in the world.

That said I have a request for Nole. Don’t write a Bio yet, you will lose your #1 ranking ASAP. Wait until your career is over and I will be the first in line to buy the book :)

I will join your request for Nole, I still don’t understand why would someone 24-25 years old, on top of the world print Bio. I thought you do those things at the end of certain life periods or may be it is the end but we don’t know yet ;(

skeezer, I feel mainly like you; I am drawn to players for whatever reasons that have nothing to do with nationality. I love watching Nole and enjoy what I can see of his personality too. And yet, having said that, I do find it kind of thrilling that Milos Ranoic could do something special for tennis in Canada, and it’s hard not to root for that. We haven’t really had a tennis star, other than Rusedski, who defected. ;) And of course the amazing Nestor, who, being in doubles, is nonetheless less talked about. So it would be great for the sport in this country if Raonic could do well. Perhaps it goes a little like this for me: tennis first, favourite players next, and country players after that.

to be honest,im afraid my posts lack the class and knowledge of jane and mat 4,and the sophistication and dry humour of a grendel and ajet,and feel alot of the time im out of my depth,having said that though i always try to be as fare and honest as i possibly can,and would never say anything in the virtual world that im not prepared to say in the real world,and have to say you all make great points,i dont think theres any right or wrong answer about the way a player behaves on or of court,what works for one isnt always the same for another and vice versa,much the same with this forum,all a matter of personal opinion,be a boring old world if we all felt the same.

alison, don’t knock yourself, girl! The internet is a huge leveller, we’re all here on equal terms, to reject or accept different views, depending on personal preferences.
As far as tennis players’ idiosyncrasities go, generally isn’t it the same as life- if we like a player/person we’ll search around for stuff that supports our view, if we don’t we’ll do the opposite.

Hey, don’t blame me because every country has controversial history :)… Didn’t hear about his bio and I don’t like the idea… It is waaaaaaaay better to make a movie :D… Joking of course…
I agree about point that tennis should be most about the tennis… But players are treated differently by the media and that is a fact… One post earlier explained it great… Mat4 posted it…
@Jane… Nestor was born in Belgrade :)… Raonic 300km south – west :)))… But glad if they are doing great thins for tennis in Canada. If they fail just call, we’ll send some more ;)

My professor of French literature was a great piano lover, and once, he made an interesting comparison:

Imagine Rubinstein or Horowitz in a concert hall, with 5 of the greatest connoisseurs of piano in the world, and only them. Would Vladimir be happy? What about Arthur? No, of course, they wouldn’t.

But in a concert hall full of public – even if nobody understands nothing about classical music, even if they are all only snobs, there to brag about it later – 5000 of them, who have paid for this privilege, would Rubinstein and Horowitz then be happy? Yes, they would.

So, even when the public is rooting for the other player, they still have paid their tickets, they are still here to watch you.

thanks mat4,i like your posts too,and to tell you the truth,i thought the same thing about madmax,who i thought was male,till i looked back over old threads,which were before my time on the forum,nobodys perfect eh.

Why thank you, alison :) Like u, I try to only write what I’d say to someone’s face. In fact I think I’m more restrained here than in the “real” world..;)
mat4: love France, food, landscape, film, people, Tsonga, which part u from?

In a way it makes sense that Rafa fell to his knees after winning the fourth set; after all, he knew his five set record, so he must’ve felt his chances increased exponentially once he pushed the match to a fifth set. And it did seem like he had the measure of things for the first four or so games of the fifth set. Then it grew quite even and finished accordingly.